Corner construction for flumes, troughs, launders, and the like



H. w. GILCHRIST ET AL Filed Sept. 12. 1924 CORNER CONSTRUCTION FOR FLUMES; THOUGHS, LAUNDERS, AND THE LIKE Dec. 1 1925.

Patented Dec. 1, 1925'.

UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca.

HUGH WILSON GILCEBJ IST AND JOHN JAMES REID, OF ANAGONDA, MONTANA.

CORNER CONSTRUCTION FOR FLUMES, TROUGHS, LAUNDEBS, LND THE LIKE.

Application filed September 12, 1924. Serial No. 787,434;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we (1) HUGE Wrrson GILCHRIST .and (2) dorm JAMES REID, citizens of the United States, residing at 5 Anaconda, in the county of Deerlodge and State of Montana, have invented certain newand useful Im rovements in Corner Cons structions for lumes, Trou hs, 'Launders, andthe like, of which the ollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to corners for-wooden fiumes, troughs, launders and the like for the conve ance of water, solutions or other liquids. he princi al uses of such devices are in metallurgica, irrigation and analogou's operations; the liquid often carryin solids in suspension. It will be understoo however that the present improvements are not limited in use to the particular industries mentioned, but are useful in anyli uid carrying device of the trough ty e whic is constructed wholly or partly 0 wood and in which it is necessary or desirable to have the corners in contact with the liquid substantially liquid-tight.

In the ordinary type of wooden flume, the corners at the juncture of the sides and bottom are formed by spiking the lower side planks to the respective outer bottom planks, the butt joints between the planks bein made tight by calking with oakum or the %ike Under this practise the spikes must be closely spaced to prevent leakage through the corner joints, and since the spikes must be driven into the edges of the bottom planks they line up in a nearly strai ht line. As a consequence the side plan s invariably split along this line. Besides, such a construction requires close spacin of the yokes or spaced frames which hold t e flume together. -In addition, the seams require attention and renewal of the walking from time to time.

' Thecorner construction which is the subject of the present invention is entirely free from the dlfiiculties referred to and has besides certain additional advantages, referred...

to hereinafter. v

The novel construction contemplates the use of relatively heavy timbers as the chief corner elements, these timbers being alined end to end throughout the length of the flume or trough, and special means being provided at the abutting ends to insure li uid-tight joints.

he invention will better "be understood by reference to the accompanying drawin wherein one embodiment of the invention s illustrated and wherein:

Fig. 1 isa cross-section of a flume in which our corner construction is emplo ed;

Fig, 2 is a side view of a portion 0 the flume where two corner-timbers meet; and

Fig. 3 is a detail, perspective, inside view of a joint.

The flume or trough'illustrated comprises side walls 10, bottom 11 and corner membars 12. The walls and bottom may be formed by edge on ed e alinement of two or more planks spline together as at 13 along the meeting edges. Each corner memher is pre ared from a timber 14, which is relatively. eavy as compared with the thickness of the planks 10, 11, and the adjacent planks are joined alon their edges to the timber by suitable splines or the like 15. The timber 14 is beveled along one corner a as at 16 to afford a smooth surface within the flume; otherwise it may be rectangular, preferably square, in cross-sectionf 1 0 Depending upon the length of the flumeg two or more of the timbers 14 are arranged" in alinement end to end, the joint as thus formed being indicated at 17 2 and 3. The section shown in Fig. ,is taken centrally through such joint. This a particular object of this invention to make joints 17 liquid-tight. For this purpose two holes, preferably at ri ht angles to each other, are provided at eac of the joints, these holes intersecting within the timber 14. The holes may conveniently be bored from the top and inner side of the timber along the center lines of the surfaces, in which case the holes will intersect of course at the center of the timber when the latter is square in crosssection. Part of'each of the holes, conveniently one-half as shown in the drawing, is formed in the end of one timber, while the complementary portions of the holes are 1 formed in the abutting end of the adjacent timber. In each of the holes thus-provided there is driven a soft pine dowel 18, or its equivalent, which will swell when in contact with the liquid carried by the flume and thereby make the butt joint tight against leakage therethrough of liquid from the flume. While we have mentioned soft pine dowels, these being especially suitable for the purpose, it will be understood that other 110 woods or materials which will swell under the particular conditions of use may be em- It will be seen that by the construction described we have rovided' a fiume corner which is not only 11 uid-ti ht but which also adds materially to t e sti nessand strength of the fiume, and therefore reduces the number of frames or yokes required to hold the flume to ether and keep it tight. Also, the improved construction obviates the necessity for any nailing whatever at the corners; and the dowel arrangement provides a joint which will remain tight for the life of the fiume. Furthermore, alternate freezing and thawing will not open the joint.

Certain variations are of course possible and, as will be obvious, any construction in which there is employed between such abutting ends an insert element capable of swelling under, the conditions of use to close the joint but over a section less in area than the full. cross-section of the ends, regardless of the number of.component parts of said insert elements, is the full equivalent in its broader scope of that part of the invention which relates to the liquid-tight. 'oint between the abutting ends of the tim ers.

i We claim 40 1. A corner construction for polygonal 7 section flumes or the like comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting an le-pieces, and liquid-tight 'oints between the adjacent ends of the timers.

2. A corner construction for polygonal section flumes or the like comprising rela-- tively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, and joints between the adjacent ends of the timbers capable of becoming liquid-tight in the use of the fiume.

3. A corner construction for polygonal section flumes or the like comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, and means providing a liquid-tight joint between adjacent ends of the timbers comprising an insert element capable of swelling upon contact with the liquid to be confined in the fiume.

4. A fiume or the like of polygonal crosssection comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, bottom and side-wall members secured to faces of said timbers edge-on, li uid-ti ht joints between the adjacent ends 0 the timhers, and liquid-tight .joints between the timbers and said bottom and side-wall members.

5. A fiume or the like of polygonal crosssection comprising spaced, relatively heavy timbers constituting angle-pieces, side-wall members secured to upper faces of said timbers edge-on, a bottom member secured to the inside faces of said timbers edge-on, liquid-tight joints between the timbers and said side-wall members and liquid-tight joints between the timbers and said bottom member.

6. A corner construction for polygonal section flumes or the like comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, and means providing a liquid-tight joint between adjacent ends of'the timbers, comprising a pair of plugs capable of swelling upon contact with the liquid to be confined in the fiume, said plugs being arranged within the timbers at the joint at an angle to each other and contac'ting at their inner ends.

7, A corner construction for flumes or the like of polygonal cross-section comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, bottom and sidewall members secured to faces of said timbers edge-on, and. means between the adjacent ends of the timbers capable of swelling upon contact with the liquid to be confined I inthe fiume to provide a liquid-tight joint and extending from the adjacent edge of the side-wall member to the adjacent edge of the bottom member.

8. A corner construction for flumes or the like of polygonal cross-section comprising relatively heavy timbers held and to end and constituting angle-pieces, bottom and sidewall members secured to faces of said timbers edge-on, and means providing a liquid-tight joint between the adjacent ends of the timbers, said means comprising a pair of swellable plugs arranged within the joint'at an angle to each other and contacting at their inner ends, the outer ends of the plugs being confined respectively beneath the adjacent edge of the side wall member and the adja-- cent edge of said bottom member.

9. A corner construction for flumes or the like of polygonal cross-section comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, bottom and sidewall members secured to said timbers edgeon and at a right angle to each other, and

, means providing a liquid-tight joint between of the side-wall member and the adjacent edge of said bottom member.

10. A corner construction for fiumes or the like of polygonal cross-section comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, bottom and side-wall members secured to said timbers edge-on, said timbers being beveled substantially along a plane joiningthe inner edges of the bottom and side-wall members adja cent the timbers, and means providing a liquid-tight joint between the a jac'ent ends of the timbers, said means comprising an insert element capable of swelling upon contact with the liquid to be confined in the fiume and extending across the joint beneath the bevel from the adjacent edge of the sidewall member to the adjacent edge of the bottom member.

11. A corner construction for flumcs or the like of polygonal cross-section comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, and means providing a liquid-tight joint between the adjacent ends of the timbers, said means comprising a pair of plugs capable of swelling upon contact with the liquid to be con-t fined 1n the flume and arranged at an angle to each other and contacting within the joint at their inner ends; one half of each of said plugs being seated within the end of one of the timbers and the other half of each of the plugs being seated within the end of the "other of the timbers.

' 12. A corner construction for flumes or the like of polygonal cross-section comprising relatively heavy timbers held end to end and constituting angle-pieces, bottom and sidewall members secured to said timbers edgeon and at a ri ht angle to each other, said timbers being evele substantially along a plane joining the inner edges of the bottomand side-wall members adjacent the timbers, and means providing a liquid-tight joint between the adjacent ends of the timbers, said means comprising a pair of plugs capable of swellin upon contact with the liquid to be confined in the fiume and arranged within the joint at a right angle to each other and contacting attheir inner ends and together extending across the joint beneath the bevel ,from the adjacent edge of the side-wall members to the adjacent edge of the bottom member, the outer ends of the lugs being confined respectively beneath tiie adjacent edge of the side-wall member and the adjacent edge of the bottom member one half of each of said plugs being seated within the end of one .of the timbers and the other half of each of the plugs being seated within the end of the other of the timbers.

13. In combination, a pair of timbers of substantial cross-section held end to end and forming part of a liquid-confining structure, and a liquid-tight j omt between the adjacent ends of the timbers comprising a pair of swellable plugs arranged within the timbers at the joint, contacting at their inner ends 

